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Busting Brackets & Breaking Ankles

This book written by a Division I head basketball coach and a journalist provides an inside look at a mid-major program. The Central Michigan University men’s basketball team entered the 2015-16 season in the fourth year of a major rebuilding project led by Coach Keno Davis. The story focuses on what it takes to build a mid-major basketball program and the challenges the smaller schools face during a season, all while chasing the ultimate goal of earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. “Busting Brackets and Breaking Ankles: Life Inside the World of Mid-Major Basketball” puts readers inside the program as the Chippewas tried to defend their regular-season conference championship and claim the league’s only bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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This cover design is built completely around the styles used within basketball, from the wood floor that you would see on the courts, to the background made from jersey material, and the back information all placed on what you’d see stats pop up on while watching espn or other sports channels.

The title and color pallette is all based on the design of the Chippewas jerseys, gold/white/maroon, the title is made to look like it could be worn directly on the jersey and is placed on a gold jersey background to bring that look home ven further. The idea of “Busting Brackets” immediately brings to mind many fans crumpling up their, now busted, brackets and throwing them away in frustration. I brought this idea to life by using a waste paper bin that is made to look like a basketball hoop, but instead of shooting a basketball through and scoring, one is now throwing their broken and crumpled up brackets through because they have lost.

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